


A Moment to Talk

by WaywardTimeLord



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dramione if you squint, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 17:56:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardTimeLord/pseuds/WaywardTimeLord
Summary: "She looked at him again, but didn't expect an answer, he still seemed perplexed about why she was speaking to him at all, let alone about her this. Hermione was tired, and possibly a bit fuzzy from the champagne, and she wanted to talk about something other than war or death or the way her hair was put up. So she continued."





	A Moment to Talk

The gala was excruciating- no, correction: the heels Hermione was wearing were excruciating - the gala was annoying, irritating, pretentious and tiresome. Reporters were everywhere, taking thousands of pictures of everyone, but especially focusing on "The Golden Trio". Harry had it the worst, being now not only the boy who lives, but the man who slayed as well. He was twice the hero, and twice the story, but he was also a little over-reviewed. It was the two year anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts, and reporters wanted something fresh, something newer and more exiting than the same old Harry Potter expose. Which meant that the other people involved in the War effort - and Harry's life- were getting tons of new coverage.

At first, that meant Ginny getting tons of pictures posted on Witch Weekly's cover as "The Hottest Quidditch Player of the Decade", paired with articles talking about her relationship with Harry and her new position as a chaser in the Hollyhead Harpies, which was beneficial to her career, even if Ron hated the use of the word "Hot" when describing his little sister.

When Ron was put into the spotlight, it gave Weasley Wizard Weazzes a huge sponsorship, and told the story of Fred's tragic death and how how Ron swooped in to save the shop afterwards, when George was barley coping. That particular article even brought up there escape from Grigotts bank, and their daring ride on the back of a Dragon. No one really knows how the reprter got ahold of that information, but it painted Ron as the forgotton child of his family, who "did the unimaginable to step out of his siblings' shadow". It called him the "Hero Never Heard of", and even brought up his new Bert Bots card. Even with it's glaring flaws, Ron still kept a cuttout of it.

Most of the stories weren't too problematic, but no one seemed to know how to write an interesting expose on Hermionie. She worked in a low level ministry office, working to raise money for muggleborns and their families recover after the war, and even expedite some of the few muggleborns still left in azkaban after Umbridge's cruel laws. She did good work, but apparently good work didn't aquate to a good story- Ginny said that no one wanted to read about more politics than they had to, most people wanted to move on and bury themselves in the easy stories, not the ones that made them feel guilty.

Easy stories meant questions digging into her relationship with Ron, people asking her if she and Harry ever "became more than friends" while searching for a way to end the war. One man even dug up the fact she had danced with Victor Krum at Bill Weasly's wedding, and had the audacity to ask her if she saw a future with the famous qiuditch player- while she was out on a dinner date with Ron. The only times reporters weren't pestering her with relationship questions, the were asking who she was wearing, or if she didn't put product into her hair as "a fashion statement". 

Hermionie hated it, and questions like that only filled in more and more at events like these, events actually set up to remember what was losed and raise money for the ones who were still left in need. It was vile, the press willingly ignoring what needed to be said, and writing 1000 word pieces on the scandalous length of Daphne Greengrsses hem.

The press was a major factor on Hermionie's need to step out of the room and catch her breathe, as well as the aforementioned High Heels of torture.

It wasn't until she had stepped onto the balcony of the estate building hosting the event, and sighed a long-suffering breath, that she was told-

"Occupied."

Even though she recognized the voice- even though she knew it wasn't a threat and the gala was a safe space- Hermione jumped out of her skin, and screamed. It wasn't loud enough to tear through the noise inside, but the other person on the quiet balcony did. 

"Sorry." He said, now stepping out of the shadows and toward Hermionie. Draco Malfoy was wearing a full black set of dress robes for the Occasion- to no one's real surprise, and seemed to have been drinking something from a flask the quickly disappeared into a fold in his robes. 

"I didn't know any of the 'Golden Trio' scared so easily." Malfoy was a condescending prat when he was sober, and apperntly not a thrill to be around when he was drunk either.

Hermionie crossed her ams across her chest, one hand touching the word on her forearm, the other pressing the silver mark on the side of her neck - both scars caused by Draco Malfoy's maternal aunt only two years ago. 

"Then you're an idiot." She told him, "And one with a bad memory."

 

It was then that Malfoy seemed to realize what her hand placement entailed, and almost seemed to deflate some. 

There was an awkward moment of silence where Hermione wondered if her slight shivers had to do with the cold, or her scare.

"Why are you out here instead of spending your night with Potty and the Weasel inside, in the warm lime light of the loving public eye." With every new word, Malfoy's voiced dripped heavier with sarcasm and scorn.

Hermione actually laughed. "Potty and the Weasel." She looked directly into Malfoy's eyes. He looked puzled and Hermione let him stew long enough to sip off her heels and sit on the marble rail of the balcony.

"When we were twelve years old, I did something stupid - and I ended up in the Hospitle wing for weeks because of it, so you remember?" She looked at him again, but didn't expect an answer, he still seemed perplexed about why she was speaking to him at all, let alone about her this. Hermione was tired, and possibly a bit fuzzy from the champagne, and she wanted to talk about something other than war or death or the way her hair was put up. So she continued.

"My 'condition' lets call it, made it hard to do my schoolwork, and I fell behind. For the first time in my life, I wasn't top of my class. When I found out who Was, I was baffled. Really truly shocked.

"You, draco malfoy, apparently, had always been right behind me in every class. Every mark, You followed right behind me in everything. Except for those weeks. You surpassed me. You were the best student in our year. I couldn't believe it. But I wasn't going to argue the facts in front of me. 

"After that, I faugt tooth and nail to reclaim my status, but I never forgot who stood right behind me. I never underestimated you again. O know how smart you are Draco malfoy"

"I don't understand why you're telling me this." 

Hermione smiled in victory, she had wanted him to talk. "Potty and Weasle weren't clever insults when we were eleven, Draco."


End file.
